James Cavanagh, who could be classed as New Zealand's first recorded permanent European settler (following whalers and sealers who stayed only temporarily), was a convict who escaped from the Australian convict ship Lady Nelson while collecting firewood on The Cavelli Islands near Whangaroa in Northland. He is one of the earliest recorded Pākehā Māori, living with Māori in the Bay of Islands. The two women from The Venus joined James at Rangihoua in the Bay of islands. One 20 September 1805 The Ferret arrives in the Bay of Islands under Captain Philip Skelton and with John Savage aboard. After one to two months the Ferret departs. Captain Skelton sees a European (most likely James Cavanagh) on shore and Savage hears about him from local Māori.

Who was the first European to settle in New Zealand? We can never know for certain, but it may have been James Cavanagh, a convict sailor, who fled from the New South Wales government vessel, Lady Nelson, into the bush in the Bay of Islands in 1804. Source: Jock Phillips via Te Ara.

Sources

New Zealand, Index of Early Settlers, 1840-1864
Name James Cavanagh
Gender Male
Birth Date Abt 1780
Residence Date 1840-1864
Residence Place New Zealand
Notes: James Cavanagh Was Born About 1780 in Eng.~convict Who Escaped From His Ship Lady Nelson in 1804 Near Cavalli Islands, Northland, Nz. Maori Wife and At Least One Daughter. Mentioned As Living Boi 1806 When Venus Arrived There.

1. Jock Phillips, 'History of immigration - Early years', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/history-of-immigration/page-1 (accessed 11 March 2025)
2. Salmond, Anne. Between Worlds. 1997. Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd.